Joy

“Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Don’t grieve”…The Israelites had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. And there was tremendous joy.” Nehemiah 8:20-11, 17

Weeping over their sin, the people had to be instructed to take joy (8:11). After their obedience, they experienced “tremendous joy” (8:17). There is a connection here. 

Disregarding and disobeying the Lord extinguishes joy. Receiving mercy and repenting sparks joy again. Operating in faith and obeying fans joy into full flame in our souls. 

Diagnose your own heart. If there is a lack of joy, then look for disobedience in specific actions or attitudes or disbelief in the Lord’s mercy and goodness. 

Side note on grammar: does the “joy of the Lord” refer to the Lord’s joy that I can receive (subjective genitive) or to my joy in the Lord (objective genitive)? The context usually helps to determine this, but here it is ambiguous. Not so in John 15:11. “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” “Complete joy” is not something that I stir up inside of me. Rather, I catch it from the Eternally Joyful One who delights to show mercy. Do you want to supercharge joy? Get your eyes off of you and onto the One who is delighting to show you mercy! You cannot help but be joyful in the presence of Eternal, Limitless Joy! There you will find that the “joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Our prayer for teachers and students this year includes a special emphasis on their protection and patience. Let’s also pray in particular for Christian teachers and students to be marked by the “joy of the Lord”!